A NEW defibrillator has been installed at Charnock Richard Crematorium after the site operators raised cash through the British Heart Foundation

In the past six months, there has tragically been two deaths at crematoria in the UK when visitors have suffered a heart attack when attending a funeral.

But it is hoped the new defibrillator could help save lives of some mourners.

Kerry Curwen, Crematorium Manager, said: “We will always call an ambulance but it’s vital to provide immediate help to someone suffering cardiac arrest. Every minute without CPR or defibrillation reduces a person’s chance of surviving by around 10 per cent.”

British Heart Foundation’s mission is to win the fight against cardiovascular disease and reduce the number of people that die prematurely due to heart conditions.

Dignity appointing British Heart Foundation as their charity partner in January 2017. In addition to installing this life-saving equipment, Dignity has raised over £450,000 for the charity by hosting events in their funeral premises, offices and crematoria throughout the UK.

Donna Stokes of British Heart Foundation supported the initiative by saying: “Defibrillators need to be available in areas of greatest risk – such as where crowds gather; a location where people are naturally anxious or under stress or possibly somewhere that an ambulance may take time to reach due to traffic congestion or distance from a hospital – so a crematorium meets all of these requirements.”

In addition to Charnock Richard, another 45 crematoria operated by Dignity now have defibrillators installed. The company are also investigating the possibility of adding defibrillators to the outside of their funeral premises and offices in areas where this equipment is not currently available